Training European works councils

Abstract

In the past there has been a tendency for the subject of European Works Councils to be discussed at the macro-political level. The dominant topics of this debate were the various interpretations of the EU Directive and its transposition into national legislation, as well as the demand for comprehensive company agreements regarding the establishment of a European information and consultation procedure. Meanwhile, the question of whether and how the newly acquired room for manoeuvre for the representation of workers' interests at company level might be conceptually and efficiently fulfilled was left unanswered. Given the vast number of companies involved and empirical data collected by European works councils already in existence, it is uncertain whether all the bodies to be set up can be adequately monitored and co-ordinated. This article argues in favour of a strategy for the provision for trade union education for European works councils and sketches out the main areas of a corresponding concept. From a methodological point of view, preference is given to a mixture of cognitive, affective and action-oriented elements of training designed to enable workforce representatives to play an active role in shaping transnational contacts. Taking examples from past work undertaken by the European Trade Union College in conjunction with various European Industry Committees, it is shown that a strategy of this kind based on continuous co-operation between national trade unions, trainers and European Industry Committees can be directly translated into a successful trade union policy within multinational companies.